Chapter 55
~Chapter 55~
No one particularly liked it, but Bella often invited Harriet to her gatherings.
That day was one of Bella’s tea parties, and Harriet took a bite of the food on her plate—then immediately retched and spat it out.
“What on earth are you doing?” Caroline snapped sharply.
Flustered, Harriet struggled to wipe her mouth with a napkin, unable to even respond properly.
Naturally, everyone who witnessed the scene frowned.
“The taste… the taste was weird,” Harriet mumbled.
“What do you mean? We’re all eating the same thing, and you’re the only one saying it’s weird?”
“The taste… it was like it had gone bad.”
“What? So you’re saying the rest of us are pigs eating spoiled food right now?”
Only then did Bella finally ask what was going on.
And even then, she wore the same sad, on-the-verge-of-tears expression she had now.
At the time, Viviana and the others had rushed to Bella’s side and joined in condemning Harriet.
Now, that memory came back to Viviana as vividly as a slap across the cheek.
“That’s not what I meant! Please! Just hear me out!”
Harriet, pleading for them to believe her.
And Viviana remembered all too clearly how she and her friends had branded her a liar.
Guilt surged through her fiercely, choking off her breath.
Why hadn’t she listened to Harriet back then?
Looking back now, it was possible that Harriet was just unlucky—and the spoiled food had ended up only on her plate.
Or… someone had put it there on purpose.
“Viviana, are you really not going to apologize to Bella?” someone asked again.
But should she apologize?
No—Viviana was certain now.
She shook her head firmly.
“The one who should apologize isn’t me. It’s Caroline. And Bella… why did you avoid my gaze earlier when I tried to explain?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Bella blinked in surprise.
“You and I definitely made eye contact.”
“I was too busy… I didn’t notice. I’m sorry, Viviana.”
Her friends quickly jumped in to defend Bella.
“Bella didn’t even call your name—aren’t you imagining things?”
“Bella’s the hostess of this party. Of course she’s busy. Even with friends, she can’t pay attention to everyone.”
“Viviana, what’s gotten into you today? Just apologize and be done with it. Everyone’s watching.”
Viviana slowly stepped back.
The friends she’d known for years suddenly felt like strangers.
And the thought of herself laughing and chatting with them sent chills down her spine.
She could already hear what they’d say once she left the room.
“What’s her problem?”
“She’s completely lost it.”
“Must be jealousy.”
What should she do?
Apologizing and ending it would be easy. But if she did… she knew she’d never forgive herself for the rest of her life.
Her already trampled self-esteem would never recover.
Just then, a voice came from beside her.
“Wait—did that young lady just say something rude to Miss Bella?”
Viviana slowly turned her head.
It was a voice she knew all too well.
Adam.
Adam Hoffner. The man she’d secretly liked for years.
He was the very reason she’d worked so hard to become Bella’s friend.
Because staying by Bella’s side meant she could see Adam often.
‘But no matter how hard I tried, to Adam, I was just one of the nameless young ladies.’
Even begging Harriet for more soap to improve her skin—it had all been to get closer to the beauty ideal Adam liked.
Pathetic. Embarrassing.
Four years? Five?
From the moment she’d first laid eyes on him, she’d quietly harbored feelings for him and endured countless pangs of heartache.
But now… she knew she’d never forget the humiliation she’d felt in front of him because of Bella.
It really was time to let go.
Her first love was ending—leaving only deep wounds behind.
But paradoxically, that realization brought her peace.
She had nothing left to lose.
Holding back tears, she looked up at the ceiling.
Then she lifted her head and met Bella’s eyes directly.
“If it weren’t for Caroline, things wouldn’t have escalated like this. I really don’t think I have anything to apologize for.”
“I understand, Viviana,” Bella said softly. “Maybe I did something wrong. I’m truly sorry.”
At Bella’s gentle, wounded response, the other young ladies glared at Viviana even more sharply.
But Viviana steeled her resolve.
“Bella, you’re not at fault. But I don’t think I can remain your friend anymore.”
“Viviana!”
“I’ll take my leave first. Goodbye, everyone.”
Viviana curtsied politely and turned away without hesitation.
Turning her back and walking out terrified her—but staying among them with a mask of composure as if nothing had happened was impossible.
Fame in the noble shopping district came at a price: constant attention.
Harriet had to endure whispers and pointing fingers every time she went out.
That was tolerable—as long as no one pretended to know her or meddled unnecessarily.
Some even mocked her subtly.
“That poster was quite popular, I hear…”
When Cedric brought it up, Harriet shot him a sharp look.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Didn’t I? The poster helped sell the product well.”
“You don’t mean that sincerely, do you?”
“Why do you think that?”
It was surely because of that faint smirk playing on his lips.
Harriet sighed and turned her gaze back to the sales ledger for Saint Clarissa Soap & Herbs.
She was at the Kailas Ducal Mansion today because Cedric had asked to review the shop’s records.
He’d brought up the poster partly because sales were exceeding expectations.
‘It sold really well. I didn’t expect this much.’
On opening day, they’d planned to make it look sold out before 6 p.m.
A strategy to create urgency and boost the product’s reputation.
But the soap had actually sold out before 3 p.m.
Just moments ago, they’d had to rush more stock from the warehouse to refill the shelves.
“People lined up from early morning for two weeks straight. The lines have shortened now, but I think we’ve succeeded in making a strong impression.”
“How’s the convent workshop expansion coming along?”
“It’s hectic. If we hadn’t expanded on your advice, Duke, we wouldn’t have been able to keep up by now.”
Thanks to Cedric’s donation, they were expanding both the soap and herb workshops.
The construction wasn’t finished yet, but until then, they’d been making soap in the convent’s spare spaces.
Before, they produced about 100 bars a week.
Now, they were making 100 every three days.
Once the new facilities were complete, they could produce over 100 a day—maybe even 300.
“The herb products are trickier to make—you can’t just toss them in a pot and boil. But with the expanded workshop, we can triple or quadruple production.”
“At that point, space won’t be the issue—it’ll be manpower.”
“That’s why we’re bringing in children from the orphanage. The older ones will work in the herb workshop—of course, with fair wages.”
The children could save up to live independently someday, or stay on long-term at the workshop.
This was the future Harriet and Abbess Catherine dreamed of.
A workshop giving the convent’s children a chance at self-reliance.
“At this rate, we could open a second location by next year.”
“If no problems arise.”
“Are you saying I might cause a problem now?”
“Still as sharp as ever. You read between the lines well.”
“You didn’t hide it that deeply…”
Harriet gave a wry smile. Cedric smiled too, but she knew he meant it sincerely.
‘My past scandals haven’t been resolved, after all.’
If someone wanted to stir up trouble, they could easily do so.
Right now, Harriet was known only as the model for Saint Clarissa Soap & Herbs.
But if people found out she was the true owner of the business…
‘They’d probably try to insult the product and the convent too.’
That was why she’d kept her involvement hidden from the public.
But she did have countermeasures.
“Don’t worry. Once the business stabilizes, I’ll hand it over to the Saint Clarissa Convent.”
“The Vatican won’t like the convent running a commercial enterprise.”
“The convent will only provide support. I’ve already lined up someone else to take over the business.”
“Someone connected to the convent?”
